UAE & Saudi university teams compete in the Henkel Innovation Challenge 6

UAE & Saudi university team

KFUPM university in Saudi Arabia were selected after the first round of eliminations in the semi-finals Henkel’s Innovation Challenge

Henkel announced the winning team that would represent the GCC in the international finals of the Henkel Innovation Challenge, an international competition involving students that takes innovation to a totally new level. Henkel operates worldwide with leading brands and technologies in three business areas: Laundry & Home Care, Beauty Care and Adhesive Technologies.

Tyrone Gracias and Alex Veevers – students of HULT Business School in Dubai, were today selected as the winner of the national semi-finals. The winning team will present its innovative ideas to the top Henkel Management at the international finals of Henkel Innovation Challenge in Shanghai, to be held between March 18 and 20, 2013. The winning team in the international finals will receive a ticket around the world worth 10,000€.

The Henkel Innovation Challenge was open to students across different universities in the UAE and Saudi Arabia such as American University in Dubai [AUD] and American University of Sharjah [AUS], Hult Business School, Al Yamamah University and the King Fahd University of Petroleum and Minerals ( KFUPM ), who challenged their creativity and innovation in an attempt to make it in the international finals in Shanghai.

The Henkel Innovation Challenge, in its sixth annual edition, involves students from across the globe to create a new product or technology for a Henkel brand in 2050 and triple the value they create by promoting sustainable development. This year’s challenge brought students from 27 countries together.

Three teams, including two teams from HULT Business School in Dubai and one team from KFUPM university in Saudi Arabia were selected after the first round of eliminations in the semi-finals and subsequently, The HULT Business School team presented Persil Enviroclean project walked away with the coveted honors of representing the region in the international finals in Shanghai.

Talking about the culmination of the regional semi-finals, Ralph Branderhorst – Human Resources GCC Director, said: “As part of our HR mandate, we are always on the lookout for the best talent available in the region. Through the Henkel Innovation Challenge initiative, we get a unique opportunity to filter, monitor and select top talent in the region. We are privileged to have witnessed amazing skills during the HIC this year. All the seven team members will be given the priority for any future vacancies within Henkel GCC.”

Dr. Robert Opoku, Assistant Professor of Marketing at KFUPM University, said: “We are extremely privileged to have witnessed some thought-provoking ideas from students across all the participating universities and it was indeed very gratifying to see the efforts that have gone into the whole process. First, I would like to congratulate Henkel for this landmark initiative which has helped cultivate high potential talent in the region. Secondly, I congratulate the 3 winning teams for their efforts and innovation.”

Abdul-Aziz Elyas, Head of Laundry Home Care Marketing in Henkel GCC, mentor of the first winning team for Persil Enviroclean project, said: “I am indeed privileged to have been part of this wonderful initiative and my heartiest congratulations to my team for coming up trumps in this challenge. I am extremely honored to be part of Henkel and this Innovation Challenge, where we believe in the vision to a global leader in brands and technologies. Henkel Innovation Challenge is a great opportunity for students to acquire valuable business experience, ideas and contacts, which will help them immensely in their career paths.”

Tyrone Gracias and Alex Veevers from HULT Business School in Dubai , the winning Team who will be sent to Shanghai, said: “We are indeed over the moon for this wonderful win in the Henkel Innovation Challenge in the region. We are confident about our chances at Shanghai as we have a very innovative model in place. I would like to thank everyone at Henkel for offering us the opportunity to be a part of this initiative and thank our professors, mentors and my fellow students for their support and contribution in this whole exercise.”